Portfolio Magazine’s Lloyd Grove interviewed The Don’s Daughter about the fam biz, recent developments in the economy, McCain, and the “undisclosed lunch product.” Like her father, Donald, Ivanka Trump is a celebrity who stars in the NBC reality series The Apprentice and regularly graces magazine covers. A former fashion model, she’s a lot easier on the eyes. Unlike her dad, she embraces diplomacy and shies away from bluster. More than that, she is a serious businesswoman. At 26, the Wharton-trained Trump is a top exec in the family real estate empire (vice prez of development and acquisitions), having earned her stripes working for rival real estate mogul Bruce Ratner. These days, in a teeter-totter economy, she continues to travel the world checking in with various projects and looking for distressed properties. “There’s no access to capital, and if you have the capital available, there are incredible deals to be made,” she tells Portfolio.com in an exclusive interview. “We’re buying golf courses left and right across the country. I think large commercial assets will soon start to become available. There are just great deals to be made, and these are the times people should be buying. If you have the ability to do so, which is a big ‘if.'” Ivanka thinks the strong will survive the current downturn. She says, “There are pros and then there are dentists-turned-developers who certainly were behind every stone and around every corner for the better part of the last four years. I think the strong will survive. I think there’ll be probably some surprising casualties along the way. But when you talk about the real pros in this business, many of them aren’t 20 years old or 30 years old or 40 years old, you know? The people who have sustained have done so over a long period of time and over many, many, many cycles.” For the rest of the long interview, check out Portfolio online.
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November 5, 2008LAVO-ish Displays of Hauteness
